Fundraiser to provide first Hindu temple in Oxford ‘really important’
A disused sports hall is to be renovated into a Hindu temple and opened during May of this year, catering for the growing Hindu population in Oxford.
England and Wales Census data from 2011 - 2021 reveals the number of Hindus in Oxford has grown by 23.43%, however, it remains the only major religion in the city without a place of worship.
From 2011 - 2021 the Hindu population rose from 2,044 to 2,523. This rise makes Hinduism the third largest religious belief within the city of Oxford. Such a trend can also be seen nationwide, as the total number of Hindus increased to 1 million in 2021, making Hinduism England and Wales’s third most popular religion.
Christianity remains the most common religion in Oxford, with 61,752 people identifying as Christian, whilst Islam received 14,092 responses, placing it second.
Whilst the Church of England has 30 official places of worship and Islam has 13 mosques, Hindus have no permanent temple to practice their religion.
This presents a problem as, of the 18 areas across Oxford, Hinduism has seen an increase within 14 of them. The greatest percentage rise was within Blackbird Leys (+618.75%). Yet the largest Hindu community overall occupies the Headington area, as the population grew by 59% from 200 people to 318.
In response to the growing Hindu community, the Oxford Hindu Temple & Community Centre (OHTCC) was recently granted planning permission to renovate a building in Marston into Oxford’s first Hindu temple. The project aims to transform a disused sports pavilion into a place that caters for the religious requirements of those Hindus across Oxfordshire. Previously the OHTCC could only run monthly religious services in rented venues across Oxford, which was described as ‘suboptimal’ in their planning application.
Construction work is currently ongoing at the site as part of a 26-year lease. The building is situated along Marsh Lane, right on the edge of both the Headington and Central Oxford areas. These locations have the largest Hindu populations within the city, at 318 and 306 respectively, therefore, the area was chosen to easily cater for the large Hindu communities nearby.
According to the OHTCC, the project aims to build a Community Centre with appropriate facilities to host activities from music and dance classes to English lessons. Furthermore, the centre hopes to foster a better understanding of Hindu culture across Oxfordshire through providing a meeting place geared towards socialising, and enhancing spiritual, cultural, and physical needs based on traditional Hindu principles.
Mark Bhagwandin, Project Lead for the temple’s construction said:
‘People miss being able to go to a temple, worship, and then pass that on to their children. I've been in Oxford for 22 years, and that has been a huge disappointment for me - that my children have not been able to worship at a Hindu temple. And so, when I joined this project, that became one of my priorities, to find a place families could worship together.’
Many Hindus in Oxford are required to travel outside of the county to experience Hindu temples. Bhagwandin added:
‘For those in Oxford who sometimes have to go to Reading, Swindon or even London to see a Hindu temple, they don't have to do that anymore. They'll be able to go here in Oxford and see what one looks like, it’s really important they can ask questions, and enhance their own knowledge of the religion.’
When analysing the Census data on other religions in Oxford, there was one particularly notable shift in responses. Christianity was the most common response during 2011, with 72,924 people describing themselves as Christian. However, by 2021 most people across Oxford characterised themselves as having ‘no religion’.
Those of ‘no religion’ rose by 25.71%, representing an increase from 50,274 to 63,201. Meanwhile, Christianity experienced a 15.32% decline in 2021, to 61,752 responses. This downturn followed trends nationwide, as for the first time in the England and Wales Census, less than half of the population (46.2%, 27.5 million people) described themselves as Christian.
Meanwhile in Oxford, both Islam and Sikhism experienced significant growth at 36.55% and 37.56% respectively. Whilst Judaism saw a slightly lower uplift in responses at 4.57%.
Despite also being one of the religions that grew over the 10-year period, Hinduism is only now getting a temple for worship. The OHTCC’s plan to renovate a building is a positive step, however, funding is still required to realise the ambitious project.
A fundraiser exists and has raised £34,191 towards the target of £150,000. If you’re interested in donating, find it here.